


The dough must go on

by spymaster



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pizza Place, F/F, just a random prompt I came up while playing a game about pizza
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:42:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22942741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spymaster/pseuds/spymaster
Summary: Kara works at a pizzeria. Lena comes to buy one. Basically it.
Relationships: Kara Danvers & Lena Luthor, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 15
Kudos: 350





	The dough must go on

**Author's Note:**

> S5 has been dreadful for me. I don't even want to catch up on all of the angst.
> 
> I haven't written anything properly for months. Please excuse me and my mistakes. Think of this as a writing exercise.

Kara stifled a yawn when she heard the doorbell rang. She quickly gave her head a shake to get rid of the sleepiness that was trying to overcome her. Turning to the front door, Kara tightened the apron around her and greeted the incoming customer.

“Welcome to Flour Girl Pizzeria, what can I get for — ” Kara was speaking as she was told to do and the word got stuck in her mouth as soon as she recognized the customer, “ — Lena?”

The person apparently recognized her as well and her lips spread into a blinding grin. “Oh. My. God. Kare-Bear Danvers!” — she gasped and rushed up to the counter — “How long has it been? Ten, no, twelve years? Holy crap!”

Kara’s mouth matched Lena’s smile as her brain tried to search for a thing — anything — to say at the overwhelming moment. Her former class president from high school, the one and only, Angelina Kieran Luthor, her biggest crush from the moment she saw her making a speech on the podium was now standing in front of her seven years after the graduation, looking as smart as ever. The most surprising thing was Lena remembering her. They had been in a big group back then and Lena had been close to other people, not Kara. This put Kara at awe and loss of words.

Lena caught the way Kara froze on her feet and stepped back, her cheeks got pink a bit. “I’m sorry. I came on too strong,” Lena chuckled nervously, scratching her neck in a shy manner. The act gave Kara a flashback of a moment of twelve years ago. She didn’t recall the specific moment, but the gesture was very familiarly endearing. “It’s just really good to run into you.”

Kara cleared her throat and found her voice again. “Technically, _you_ ran into _me_. I’m not exactly allowed to leave the place until 10 p.m.”

“Still have the obvious dry humor, I see.” Lena remarked mysteriously and looked at Kara’s uniform. “And a passion for food.”

“That would never go away,” Kara shrugged, straightening the apron, “I’m not allowed to eat work’s food either.”

“Must be really painful for you, huh?” Lena arched an eyebrow playfully. Kara took the moment to observe Lena’s outfit. The former class president was wearing a professional attire for the office environment — fitting for someone who was voted to be The Most Likely To Be A Millionaire in the yearbook. Kara brought it with her when she came to National City. In it, the witty additional of Lena’s signature in their farewell moment faded a little. Kara still remembered the way Lena laughed when she found out Kara had crossed ‘Millionaire’ and rewrote it as ‘Billionaire’.

“I’ll survive. Can’t say the same about you, Miss Luthor. It's pretty early for lunch."

Suddenly, Lena's face fell. "Oh, you didn't know."

Kara sensed a drop in her stomach. "Know what?"

"I'm not Miss Luthor anymore."

The realization dawned on Kara like a ton of bricks. "You're married." Her eyes immediately darted to Lena's left hand. There was no ring.

"I was," Lena corrected with a grim manner.

Kara took a pause before she spoke, trying to be respectful of Lena's boundary. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Lena only smiled sadly. "It happens." For a moment, Kara could see how Lena's eyes got wet. But that moment passed by quickly and Lena changed the subject. "I'd like a Chorizo pizza, please."

Kara offered a friendly smile, countered. "With arugula?"

The corners of Lena's mouth softened into a smirk. "You still remember that?"

"I have a good memory."

The truth was, she remembered a lot of things about Lena. She didn't mean to, she just couldn't forget. Lena had always been a lovable person. She was always kind to others, a hard-working student and the first person who came to mind when Kara thought of the word 'lady'.

That lady had gone through some rough years since the last time they saw each other, apparently. It hurt Kara's heart to see that. Lena wasn't only a former crush to Kara, she was a good person and she deserved a good life.

"It's so nice to watch you work," Lena commented when Kara returned to the delivering counter. The pizzeria was designed so that the customers could observe the process of making a pizza. Kara knew Lena had been watching, but hearing the confirmation from the woman herself made Kara glad she had done a good performance. "Making food is art. You're an artist."

Kara swiped her nose to hide how her face was getting hotter, replied shyly. "I'm just doing my job."

Lena took a peek at the pizza and gave Kara a flattering look. "You did great. And look at how you manage the whole store alone. That is incredible."

"My co-worker had an urgency to take care of." Kara made a quote sign. "I didn't choose to be _incredible_ , believe me."

Lena's eyes softened with a sparkle. "Well, I find you pretty incredible, Kare-Bear."

Somehow, Kara's mind went blank again and Lena had to remind her that she needed to collect the money for the pizza. She didn't even realize Lena had put twenty bucks — nearly three times the cost of a chorizo pizza — into the tip jar. Somehow, it didn't occur to Kara until later that night that her heart still beat a different beat when it came to Lena.

  
  


___

  
  
  


Lena had become a regular.

Every Tuesday and Thursday, Lena would stop by at around eight o'clock to order a chorizo pizza. She never changed her order, no matter how Winn, Kara's co-worker, tried. She always politely demanded that her pizza made by Kara and tipped both of them handsomely. Especially for Kara, there was always a little lollipop along with the tip. She kept a pattern.

Kara could even tell the moment Lena walked into the store and headed to the dough tray to start making Lena's usual order. As she made the pizza, Lena would stand on the other side of the glass wall and chat with Kara about their day.

It was simple like that. A few questions, some jokes, lots of laughters, a casual routine. It had become Kara's favorite part of the day to pick out the lollipop and enjoy it on her way home.

Kara slowly learned more about Lena's life, especially the time after graduation. Lena had fallen in love and gotten married with a woman named Samantha Arias. Lena had changed her name into Luthor-Arias and they had had two wonderful years together. The following years were full of separation. Samantha was a surgical resident and she was always too busy. Lena was also buried neck-deep with studying and finishing her architecture degree. They barely met each other. And their hearts fell apart.

_"I was heartbroken by the fact that both of us saw it coming and none of us did anything to save it."_ Lena had said it with a smile. The saddest smile Kara had ever seen on the lively former schoolmate. _"Love will die eventually. That's the lesson. Nothing lasts forever, not even love."_

Life could be so cruel, indeed. Kara had no idea what to do except for listening to Lena and making sure the woman knew she was listened to. Then Lena flipped the situation over.

  
  


***

  
  


_"Tell me about your life, Kara." Lena suddenly said when Kara was sliding another pizza into the oven. "I always go on and on about mine. How rude it is of me."_

_Kara chuckled, readjusted the towel on her shoulder. "It's fine, really. My life is boring."_

_"I doubt it." Lena teased with a smirk. "Twelves years is a long time. You must have at least gone through something worth telling."_

_Kara was about to reply when she noticed how Winn was in earshot so she lowered her voice. "If you're still here when I'm done with work, I'll tell you."_

  
  


***

  
  


It was how Kara left the store with Lena tonight. Lena did wait. She even got Kara a hot cup of coffee ready. It was cold outside, but Kara already felt the heat rising inside her when she saw Lena smiling at her. The steam of her breath coated around her combining with the night light illuminating from afar formed a rather surreal image of Lena. She looked like an angel.

"Sorry, it took longer than I expected." Kara received the cup with gratitude and playfully bumped Lena's shoulder. "You're that excited to hear about my life, aren't you?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?" They both started walking to the bus stop down the road. "I mean, you seem like you have stories in your eyes."

"Wow," Kara exaggerated with a dramatic gasp, "you should really be a poet. That was smooth."

Lena rolled her eyes but with a smile on her face. "Come on, tell me."

"What do you want to know specifically?"

"Have you had your heart broken?"

Kara didn't hesitate, answered right away. "Yes."

"A lot?"

"Enough."

"What do you mean 'enough'?"

"Enough for me to be shy from having my heart vulnerable again," Kara spoke and immediately realized how sad it sounded so she added. "I'm just being dramatic. I'm healing."

"What happened?"

Kara glanced at Lena for a moment, catching the sincere look from the green eyes and let out a sigh. "Remember I used to say I want to open a restaurant?" Lena nodded. "Well, I did. After graduation, I tried to get into college but couldn't so I joined with two friends to invest in a food truck. We sold burgers. Good burgers. Made a decent name in Metropolis. We all wanted to open a restaurant but we didn't have enough money."

"But you did open one. You said so."

"Yes. I… won the lottery."

Lena's eyebrows rose up to her hairline. "Seriously?"

Kara laughed. "Yes! I didn't win the biggest prize, but I won a million dollars. I put it all into the restaurant, paid for everything. The restaurant was doing so well. It was the best time of my life. I got a career, got to work with my best friends. We attracted better investors and even opened two more on the other side of the city. Everything was so great. I even started dating one of them."

"What happened next?"

"It started going badly. Somehow the business was sabotaged and all of the paperwork I got was pointing us to bankruptcy. My friends told me to reduce my share of the ownership because according to them, I would be the one to get the worst hit and as my friends, they wanted to share that burden with me. I went from having 40% to 1% ownership because I trusted them."

Lena walked slower. Kara thought she would say something, but she stayed quiet. Therefore, Kara continued as they stopped making a move forward at the same time.

"My friend and ex-girlfriend, the co-owners of the restaurant, both went behind my back and found themselves a deal to sell the restaurants to get one and a half million dollars. Each of them got around seven hundred and fifty grand." Kara paused, feeling the betrayal bitter in the back of her throat. It had been years ago, yet she still tasted it. "They threw me fifteen grand and I never saw them again. I could have sued them but I didn’t do anything. The money meant nothing to me."

Kara felt the warmth around her hand. Lena's hand wrapped around hers, gently tightening the grip.

She didn't know what was going on in her mind. She only had Lena in her view and the sensation of their hands touching. Kara returned the squeeze by bringing Lena's hand up to her own face and blowing a breath between the fingers, then wrapped them up with both hands.

"Your hand is cold." She whispered. It was completely irrelevant to the story but somehow she had to point it out.

"I'm sorry."

Kara knew what Lena was talking about. She let out a soft sigh.

"I like making pizzas more than burgers anyway."

Lena chuckled. Kara did the same. They continued their path to the bus station.

Their hands still linked the entire time.

  
  


___

  
  
  


Something changed since that night.

It was subtle and if Kara didn't notice, she wouldn't have realized. It was from the way Lena's eyes followed Kara from behind when she was making pizza; from the laughter that sounded deeper, longer, more crispy when they both joked about something; from the way their fingers brushed by each other when Kara handed Lena the box. Kara always caught Lena's eyes when their hands accidentally touched like that and honestly, it sparked a fire in her.

She knew she had feelings for Lena. It wasn't the first time it happened. But it felt so different. It was silent but firm. It kept Kara's heart on the edge since the morning of the days that she knew Lena would come. Her feet felt like off the ground when she heard the doorbell, even from other customers. Her hands were more energetic, she didn't feel tired even after a long day, and she thought about Lena most of the time.

One day, a regular customer gestured to talk with Kara. "Hey, can I ask you something?" He was a tall, dark, handsome man, who came by mostly on Thursday from the gym across the street to have pizza.

"Yes?" Kara responded with a friendly smile.

"That one woman who's always here on Thursdays. The pretty one, with high heels and suitcase. Do you recall?"

Kara immediately knew who that was. And she didn't think much when she answered, "Yes."

"Well, I'd like to find out what she likes to eat." He pulled out a one-hundred-dollar bill and handed it over to Kara. "Can you help me? You know, asking some stuff about her likings so I could treat her. Her favorite toppings, her name, is she dating anyone... things like that."

Kara's brows slowly knitted together as the welcoming smile faded. "Excuse me?"

"I want to ask her out. Help me out." The man urged with a smirk. Kara disliked him already. "I'd pay you greatly."

"I'm sorry. I only do pizzas, not favors." She was about to turn away when the man said something else.

"Then make me what she always eats."

Begrudgingly, Kara had to make it. She gave it to the man when she finished. As she opened the register to check in the payment, the man was already at the door.

"I'm paying for her pizzas."

She narrowed her eyes. Gritting her teeth, Kara put the money into a spare envelope and wrote on the outside to make it obvious that this was a customer’s return money. Winn asked about it, and Kara told him. Winn instantly knew what person that was, to her surprise.

“He asked me about Lena a few times before when you two were talking.” He recalled while pinching his chin.

“Did you tell him anything?” Kara knew she sounded a bit annoyed. She wasn’t even trying to hide, actually. The idea of someone trying to use her to get close to Lena was disturbing.

“Not much. I only said she was a regular. Nothing else.” A scandalous look crept on Winn’s face. “Should we tell Lena about this?”

“Of course. I don’t want to keep Lena away from a possible creep like this.”

  
  


___

  
  
  


“Lena, I have something to tell you.” Kara blurted out as she was giving Lena the usual order. She didn’t want to risk Lena not knowing about the man.

The woman with green eyes paused whatever she was about to say and tilted her head to aside. “What is it?”

“There’s this person who wants to ask you out.” Kara went straight to the point.

Lena’s face lit up for a moment. “Really? Who is it?”

“A guy who’s also a regular of ours.” Kara pulled out the envelope to show Lena. “He gave me a hundred dollars to ask for your favorite toppings and wanted to pay for your pizza from now on.”

She watched as Lena studied the envelope. A soft frown deepened her brows. “So _he_ was the one who wanted to ask me out, correct?”

Kara was taken aback by the strange question. She had to take a moment before answering. “Yes. That’s what I said.” The atmosphere suddenly dipped into a weird silence for a very brief moment. Kara got worried. “Are you okay?”

Lena looked up at her, not answering the question. The gaze got intense. “What do you think about that?”

“About him trying to ask you out?” Kara fell into an odd urge to stutter which was strange because she wasn’t one to stutter. “I— I don’t have any opinion. I’m just telling you to let you know.” Lena’s gaze didn’t waver the slightest bit. “I thought a regular of the store should know about someone noticing their habit of coming here. For safety reasons.”

Lena crossed her arms, still holding the finished pizza with one hand. “A regular?” The way Lena spoke it like it was an insult to her. Kara couldn’t figure out why Lena would make such a stern face at a common word like that.

“I mean, you come here all the time to get pizza, right? So by definition, you’re a regular.” Kara explained and at the same time felt weird that she had to explain herself.

“And you’re just an employee doing her job, is that correct?” Lena asked again.

“...yes.” Kara gingerly answered. She couldn’t understand why she had a feeling that she had just hammered the final nail onto her coffin.

A smirk split on Lena’s lips. She took a step back from the counter, slowly turning away. “Then you can deliver my gratitude to the kind gentleman who offered to pay for my pizza and tell him that I would like to meet him in person.”

Kara’s mouth hung open. The sensation of something going the wrong way grabbed at her stomach. Her hands went cold and she froze on the spot.

Suddenly, Lena returned and stuck something into Kara’s tip jar. “Sorry. I forgot.” She left without saying goodbye.

That night, Kara realized there was no lollipop in the jar.

  
  


___

  
  
  


Kara sensed it.

The distance. She sensed it in the way Lena lowered her gaze when their eyes met, in the way Lena no longer leaned on the counter when she watched Kara do her job, in the strained smile she put on at certain times. Kara had no idea if the smile was there to reassure her or to mask something, but it was definitely not comfortable.

She didn't like that at all. She fairly knew that whatever was happening, happened since the day she told Lena about the man. When he returned on the following Thursday, Kara had to tell him about Lena's response. He was thrilled and thanked her.

He stayed until Lena came. Kara felt her chest crumble when Lena tore her attention away from her when he approached Lena and opened a conversation. Kara, as the store employee, had to stand and listen to their small talk. She kept her eyes down and bored them onto the menu on the counter, trying to block the sound.

_This is unprofessional,_ she thought, _I need to get it together._

She stood straight up and put on a polite smile which she never had to around Lena before. Lena and the man were still talking but seemingly about to stop. He left, sending a smirk Lena's way. Kara had to use all of her might to not display any annoyance on her face when Lena finally looked at her again.

"So, that was him, right?" Lena commented casually. "What do you think?"

Kara gave Lena a look. "What do you mean what I think?"

"He asked me out. What do you think about that?" The intense gaze returned in Lena's eyes. "Are you going to say something?"

Kara gulped. Suddenly she felt cornered even though Lena didn't move. She simply asked a few questions. Questions that Kara couldn't find answers for. Her tongue got stiff, her eyes darted around, hoping to find an opening word. Lena was still waiting.

"I don't like him," Kara eventually said.

"Why not?"

"I just don't."

Lena slowly nodded. "I'll turn him down."

That caught Kara by surprise. "Because I said I didn't like him? Don't let my opinion dictate yours."

"You'd be fine if I go out on a date with him, then?" Lena asked again, her voice became pointier.

"That's not what I— "

"Would you oppose to me going on a date with him?"

Kara froze. She swallowed. _Yes._ She wanted to say 'yes'. She wanted to scream 'yes'. _Yes, I oppose it. I don't want you to go out with him. I hate the idea of it._

But what right did she have to say such things? What were they to each other, really?

Instead, she answered with a quiet voice. "No." She felt stupid as soon as the sound she made faded into nothingness.

An awkward silence bounced between them before Lena's gaze melted. Her eyes became wetter but her smile still curved up into a strained smile. The image carved a hole in Kara's heart, made it bleed with regrets.

"I think I don't have the stomach for pizza tonight." Lena turned away. So quickly that Kara nearly didn't hear how choked up she sounded.

The ring of the bell when the door hit it pulled Kara out of the bewilderment.

What.

The.

Fuck.

_What the fuck did you do? You made Lena cry!_

_I will never forgive you, Kara Danvers, for making Lena cry._

_I need to fix this._

_Now._

She rushed to the street before Lena escape her sight without telling Winn what she was doing. The call from her co-worker got buried by the sound of her own heartbeat as she raced hot on Lena's path.

"Lena!" She called out, speeding up. "Wait!"

The woman definitely heard her because the other pedestrians were turning their heads at Kara, including the ones in front of Lena, but she didn't stop. Actually, she started running too.

"Lena!" Kara determined to reach Lena so her feet moved even faster. Lena was wearing heels, carrying a small case while Kara had sneakers on and her hands were free. She would catch up with Lena in no time.

But the bus was at the station. Kara could feel her blood began to draw away from her legs as she got closer to Lena.

"Lena, please!" She pleaded, drowned in sweats. The woman who had been wandering in her mind nights and days was about to step on the bus to leave. "I lied!"

Lena paused, turning to look at Kara. The crowd of people at the station was also had their attention on both of them. Kara only focused on Lena and Lena alone.

"I lied." She panted through the words but she kept saying and walking towards Lena. "That 'no' was a lie. I don't want you to go on a date with him."

Lena, with teary eyes, asked back. "Because you don't like him?"

"No. It has nothing to do with him, Lena." Kara finally stood in front of Lena, her breathing was still pumping fast, but she never felt more full of stance. "Because I like you. And you should hear it from me."

The murmuring from the crowd began to come into Kara's hearing range. There she was, confessing her feelings loudly, directly to Lena in public. This was such a corny situation but she didn't care.

Lena took a step forward. "Why did you lie earlier?"

"I panicked. Your questions caught me off-guard." Kara sighed. "I’m sorry about that. Please don’t cry.”

A frustrated huff flew out from between Lena’s lips. She chuckled, surprisingly, while her eyes were still teary. "Do you even know why I'm crying?"

"I upset you."

"Why am I upset?"

Kara blinked. "I'm… not sure. But you definitely are."

Lena held her eyes with Kara for a moment. It seemed like she was thinking. "You said earlier that you liked me."

The reminder made Kara flustered. She looked around and then circled back at Lena. "I did."

"Elaborate, please."

"I have feelings for you," Kara said with her eyes close. Then she opened them and repeated. "I have feelings for you. Romantic, strong feelings."

Lena's face faded into a more relaxed position. A faint smile appeared on her lips. Kara wasn't sure, though. She could be seeing it wrong. "Why don't you tell me?"

"Because I don't think you'd feel the same."

The woman in front of Kara facepalmed herself. When she removed her hand, Kara could see that Lena was… grinning.

_Huh?_

"Kara, how often do I come to the pizzeria?"

"Pretty often. Twice a week."

“How long have I been doing that?”

Kara didn’t keep track of the time, but she knew exactly when Lena came to the store for the first time. “Six months.”

"I live across the city, Kara." Lena pointed at the bus without turning around. "This bus doesn't take me straight home. I would have to make at least two stops. If I go directly home from work, I wouldn't have to make any stop. And I still come here, to you. I would have come every day but I didn't want to seem clingy or desperate." She spoke with a smile on her face but tears still ran down her cheeks. "Do you really think I would do such thing if I had absolutely no interest in you?"

Kara felt like she just got a slap across the face. She took the bus too but she never really noticed how much trouble it took for Lena to come to the store every week. It made her feel like an absolute dumbass. How could she be so oblivious? How come Lena’s effort was overlooked by her? The only thing she could say was, "Oh."

"I'm not saying that to make you feel pity or anything. I'm saying that you could have paid a little more attention." Lena wiped her eyes with the sleeves. The mascara got smeared on Lena's jacket but she didn't care. "You're an idiot, you know? I'm an idiot, too, for falling in love with you."

There was no way Kara could have predicted Lena telling her so. She gulped a few times, trying to process what was said to her.

_Lena is in love with me._

It sounded surreal. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, I thought me showing up constantly would have given you a hint. I thought you would have _gotten_ the hint. Then you said you wouldn't go against me dating some random dude." Lena shook her head, disappointed. "I really thought you didn't feel that way about me. You did say you were healing from having a broken heart."

"Now I know why you're upset."

"Yes, Sherlock." Lena's remark was sarcastic, but the tears had stopped. "You got me."

"You could have just told me." Kara smiled knowingly. She raised one hand and gingerly wiped the remaining tears on Lena's cheek.

"I didn't think I had to spell it out. You're too oblivious for your own good." Lena smiled back. "I was so embarrassed by the idea that you knew what I was doing and you were giving me the hint that you weren't interested." She put her hand on Kara's, the thumb running on Kara's palm.

"So you ran away."

Lena sighed, her head leaning into Kara's hand. "It was too embarrassing. I didn't plan to come back."

A weight fell in Kara's chest. She sensed her own tears coming up. "Don't disappear on me."

Lena chuckled, shaking her head. "I don't think I can do that."

"Because you're going to miss me terribly?" Kara teased, stepping forward to stand side by side with Lena.

"Because the pizza is delicious," Lena said in a victorious way. "I don't come to the store _only_ for you."

They both walked back to the direction of the pizzeria without having to discuss anything. It felt natural.

"Well, _I_ make pizza. You don't get another me elsewhere." Kara gently nudged Lena’s shoulder, to which she received a playful shove.

Lena shook her head. “Indeed, I don’t. How am I going to survive without the pizzas you make?”

“Well,” Kara spread her hand and sneakily slid it to caress Lena’s palm. The woman responded with doing the same and eventually their hands intertwined. “I don’t think you’d ever have to worry about that.”

“Never ever?”

“Nope.”

“That’s a big promise, Kare-Bear. Is your heart ready for that?”

Kara grinned, not looking at Lena. Her eyes kept facing forward, her chest rumbling strongly. “It is.” She felt Lena’s hand tightening around hers. “For you, it is.”


End file.
